


When You Know Better, Do Better

by ChaoticNeutral



Series: Tumblr Works [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Done Goofed, Chameleon Salt, Gen, Identity Reveal, Miraculous Salt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticNeutral/pseuds/ChaoticNeutral
Summary: Adrien screwed up. Both as himself and as Chat Noir. He knew Lila was a liar, but he let her continue anyway unopposed. And when she started making claims about Marinette being in league with Hawk Moth, he listened and let it taint his view of her.Now he knows the truth. And the discovery that his Princess was his Lady all along only means he's harmed her twice as much. And makes his betrayal twice as great.So how should he proceed from here?





	When You Know Better, Do Better

**Author's Note:**

> Because sometimes if you know there's a problem, you need to deal with it rather than let it fester. That's where Adrien struggles and here is where it comes back to haunt him.

* * *

  

“Hey, Mari! How’s it going?” Chat Noir asked, nervously from his unwelcome position on her balcony after he showed up uninvited.

 

Marinette didn’t look happy to see him. He could see she was raising her guard, like she expected him to start yelling at her.

 

With good reason, he reminded himself bitterly. The last time they had seen each other—or rather the last time she had seen him as Chat, things had not been…the most pleasant.

 

He had been caught up in rumors and suspicion. Sinister words and talk of secret alliances between their supposed “innocent” class rep and the madman threatening their city.

 

He should have known better.

 

He HAD know better.

 

Adrien knew that Lila was a compulsive liar and willing to make up any story. He knew that whatever came out of her mouth had to be lies. He even had some idea that Lila had some sort of grudge against Marinette—being one of the only ones to know she was lying and to be willing to call her out on it.

 

And yet he still fell for them anyway. Because it was strange, wasn’t it? And Lila might have been a liar, but she did have a point. Where DID Marinette disappear to during each akuma battle? She was never where she was supposed to be. She was never where she claimed she had been. No one could ever recall seeing her during any of the fights since this mess had started.

 

Coincidence, sure. But with Lila’s silver tongue, those coincidences added up and began to paint a picture that he couldn’t bring himself to ignore. But he should have. Because the picture may have made some sense, but it was still Lila putting it together and he knew—he KNEW her to be a vindictive manipulator with a grudge.

 

To think he actually believed that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was secretly working for Hawk Moth in his plots against their heroes. _Marinette_. Their "Everyday Ladybug".

 

Looking back, it had been stupid.

 

Really. _Really_ stupid.

 

Even more stupid now that he knew what he did. And not a moment went by that he wasn’t kicking himself for jumping to those conclusions—and even worse, acting on them.

 

He still remembered the way she looked at him when he snapped at her. His accusations—at the time powered with righteous fury, only came off as ignorant and callous now. He still remembered the way she gaped at him in shock and hurt. He remembered the way she tried to deny it. He remembered how she tried to explain herself.

 

He remembered the way he hadn’t cared.

 

Chat never knew how he appeared to her in that moment. What expression he must have had as he looked down on her and coldly told her to stay out of the way for once. That she deserved the suspicion and distrust of her former friends. That if he caught her at an attack again, he wouldn't help her. How had he looked when he refused to listen? What sort of face had he shown her?

 

He wondered if it matched the cold stare she gave him now.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

Her detached attitude hurt more than he thought it would. But he couldn’t say he didn’t deserve it.

 

“I just wanted to check on you.” He said, forcing a smile. “You know, make sure you were all right after that last akuma fight.”

 

She raised an eyebrow, incredulously. “You mean the one that was three weeks ago?”

 

This time, he couldn’t hide the wince. Because yeah, it had been almost a month since that last fight. And he hadn’t once considered visiting her—spying on her, sure, but not actually coming by to talk to her regardless of which mask he was wearing at the time. He hadn’t even spared Marinette so much as a concern until just a few days ago. He could make excuses. Say he’d been busy. That he’d had homework and other things to do. But nothing had prevented him from enjoying free time and outings with his other classmates. Nothing had kept him from talking to Marinette any of those times.

 

The simple truth was that he hadn’t seen reason to go out of his way to worry for Marinette.

 

Not until almost a week ago when, along with several other classmates amidst their self-righteous attempts to find “proof” of her guilt, he discovered that their “Everyday Ladybug” was actually “THE Ladybug”.

 

And suddenly, he realized too late that all of the little coincidences were pointing to a much different picture he had been too blind to see.

 

He had been an idiot. And unfortunately, Marinette had been the one to suffer for it.

 

She knew that. And she was far from inclined to accommodate him after everything.

 

“I’m fine. You can go.”

 

He couldn’t. Because this was wrong and it was his fault.

 

“I don’t think you are.” He spoke up before he realized it. And he cursed his stupid mouth, but couldn’t quite bring himself to take it back because Marinette was clearly not fine.

 

She froze, and he fought the urge to move—though whether towards her to comfort or away from her to escape the awkwardness and guilt, he didn’t know.

 

“If I’m not, what does it really matter to you?”

 

_Everything!_ He wanted to shout.

 

_Because you’re my partner._

 

_Because I love you._

 

_Because I’m an idiot and I was wrong._

 

_And I am so, so sorry._

 

So much he wanted to say.

 

So much he was scared to say.

 

Their partnership was already hanging by a thread. Her anger at him after the incident when she confronted him as Ladybug for his treatment of a ‘civilian’ had been quite clear. She told him off for making accusations without proof. She warned him and not for the first time that Lila was a liar. She pointed out that she had manipulated him before. And still he didn't listen.

 

For once, he refused to give up, so insistent he was right.

 

And for once, she refused to apologize. It made sense now, given it had been herself on the receiving end of his mistreatment all along. But at the time…

 

He had questioned Ladybug before. But never like _that_. Never did he so openly insult her judgement that way. Never did he dismiss her so readily. Nor had he ever been so intent on trying to prove her wrong, to the point of being willing to hurt someone in the process.

 

And now that he knew…

 

It was only one more thing to add to the list of ways he had seriously fucked up.

 

As Adrien, he promised Marinette support only to abandon her.

 

As Chat, he promised protection only to be the one to attack her.

 

As himself, he had promised to love the girl behind the mask only to turn on her in both.

 

Wasn’t he just pitiful?

 

“I just…wanted to make sure you weren’t at risk. You know…with the akumas and everything.”

 

She gave him a flat stare, unimpressed. “I think I’ve been doing well for myself for the past couple of months, thank you.”

 

His smile strained. “Look, I know things haven’t been…easy for you lately.” And THAT was the understatement of the year. “But—”

 

“No. No buts.” She cut him off. “You’re right. Things haven’t been easy. But I’ve been handling it. I’ve learned to handle it on my own.”

 

He winced. She didn’t say it. And she may not have intended to suggest it, but the implication was there. That it was all because he—because all of them had forced her to. Because they had left her alone.

 

“Akumas can’t get me if I don’t give them something to target, right? So I’ve been staying positive and keeping my emotions in check.” She gave him a smile that made him want to draw back. “You don’t have to worry about me becoming an akuma or anything.”

 

He clenched his fists.

 

She smiled like a doll and he hated it. He hated how fake it looked. He hated how it reminded him of his own false smiles as Adrien when he was trying to convince others he wasn’t upset when he was.

 

“You shouldn’t hide away your feelings.” He told her, honestly. “You have every right to be upset. Especially after how everyone treated you…how I treated you.”

 

She blinked in surprise.

 

He bowed his head. “I…jumped to a lot of conclusions based on coincidence and faulty evidence. I didn’t give you a chance to explain. And I should have because _I know you_ , Marinette. In all our meetings and all our times together, I’ve only ever known you to be a genuinely good person.”

 

She didn't respond. So all he could do was continue.

 

"You've been nothing but kind and helpful all this time. You've even worked with me before in trying to stop akumas! And in the moment...none of that mattered. I didn't even stop to think and I hurt you because of it. If I had just thought things through or talked things out, so much of this could have been avoided. You wouldn't have had to go through that and you  _shouldn't have_ had to be cause none of it was your fault. It was mine." His and Lila's, but he couldn't apologize for Lila and he knew she would never really regret her behavior. "It was my fault. I knew what she was like and that she couldn't be trusted, but I still fell for her." Time and time again, it seemed...

 

He looked up to meet her eyes only to be faced with a rather blank expression. He almost wanted to cry. Marinette was always full of life and emotion. She was never this _empty_. But it seemed weeks upon weeks of negativity could take its toll, and it stung that he was one of the ones to contribute to that.

 

Chat wished he could hug her. Hold her tightly until he was sure he could use whatever he had to bring back the warmth and life to every part of her. To simply just hold her hand and offer her reassurance she had been sorely needing but sadly lacking all this time. To wipe the pain away.

 

But he couldn't and he knew that.

 

All he could do now was...

 

“I’m sorry, Marinette.”

 

_I’m sorry I didn’t trust you._

 

_I’m sorry I didn’t stand by you._

 

_I’m sorry I left you alone._

 

Her blank smile faltered and her expression shifted to something sad but for the first time, genuine.

 

“At least you’re the first one to say it.”

 

It wasn’t forgiveness.

 

But maybe it was a start.

 


End file.
